“It’s really unfortunate in this case that they’re being disparaged as racists.”

Aaron Moselle is a general assignment reporter for NewsWorks, filing stories for both web and radio.
While you can find him at the courthouse or a school funding rally, he also spends a good chunk of his time writing about issues in Northwest Philadelphia, where he was born and raised. (Yes. Mount Airy is part of the city.)
Before arriving at WHYY in 2010, Aaron was a freelance writer for a collection of community newspapers and alternative weeklies.
He still can't get over the fact that he can walk to so many sights and sounds from his home base in South Philly.

Disclosure: A Neshaminy High School graduate who works at WHYY was deposed as part of the commission’s case.

(Undated) — “Redskins.”

That word sits at the center of a public hearing unfolding in Bucks County this week that could cost the Neshaminy School District its decades-old mascot.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, which sued the district, argues the term is discriminatory — a racial epithet of Native Americans that creates a “hostile educational environment” for Neshaminy students.

The district no longer has a physical mascot, but the word and Native American imagery are used to represent its athletic teams.

The logo for the high school’s basketball team is a profile of a Native American man wearing a feathered headdress. The football team’s helmets say “Skins” on them. And baseball players wear hats with a tomahawk on the front.

“Instead of promoting an atmosphere of inclusiveness and learning, Neshaminy continues to use this racial slur for their mascot name,” said Lisa Knight, who is representing the commission, which is both arguing and ruling on the case.

The school district, which has more than 8,700 students, says the commission’s allegations are “unfounded.”

“The district is full of decent human beings,” countered attorney Craig Ginsburg, who is representing the district. “It’s really unfortunate in this case that they’re being disparaged as racists.”

Eugene Sonn / WHYY

A mural of the Neshaminy High School mascot, the Redskin.

Monday’s testimony was part court case, part history lesson.

For well over an hour, defense expert Andre Billeaudeaux, part of the Native American Guardians Association’s leadership team, cited example after example of why the word “redskins” is not, on its face, derogatory.

Billeaudeaux, who is not Native American, cited personal conversations with tribe members, national polls, past issues of National Geographic, as well as his own research, included in a self-published children’s book, “How the Redskins Got Their Name.”

In the northeast and other parts of the country, Billeaudeaux said Native Americans had a “red culture,” which included warriors painting their faces and bodies red before battle using a plant called bloodroot.

Those warriors, he said, referred to themselves as redskins.

Kimberly Paynter / WHYY

Andre Billeaudeaux is the executive director of a group called the Native American Guardians Association and a commentator with CNS News, is testifying at public hearing in Bucks County about the Neshaminy School District mascot.

“It should be treated as a living tradition,” said Billeaudeaux. “It should be treated objectively.”

Billeaudeaux, a former strategist with the U.S. Coast Guard, acknowledged the term could be construed as racist if it’s used in that context, and that the Neshaminy mascot should be improved to accurately reflect the traditions of the Lenni Lenape tribe that lived in Bucks County.

His group has worked to get rid of Native American mascots that are caricatures. The Neshaminy Redskin mascot, however, is not inappropriate on its face, he argued.

“Context matters. Intent matters,” said Billeaudeaux.

“You can misuse the term ‘fruitcake.’ I can give you a fruitcake at Christmas, but if I walk into a mental hospital and I shout out ‘fruitcake,’ that’s offensive because it’s used way out of context. If your name is John, you’re at risk of being thought of as someone who solicits a prostitute,” he said.

Knight, who grilled Billeaudeaux on his qualifications, also challenged his interpretation of the word.

“What are the current dictionary definitions of ‘redskin’ that you’re familiar with?” asked Knight.

“One says it’s offensive,” said Billeaudeaux. “They are stating, at this point, an opinion about how we should feel about it, which is an unusual way for a dictionary to react.”

This week’s hearing is expected to last five days. It’s unclear when a ruling will come.

Carl Summerson, the hearing officer weighing the case, will render the decision. The commission will then vote on that ruling during a public meeting.